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The Canucks have 2 players on TSN’s trade bait list

By Alex Hoegler

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 25: Jake Virtanen #18 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his goal with teammate Tyler Myers #57 during the third period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on February 25, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 25: Jake Virtanen #18 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his goal with teammate Tyler Myers #57 during the third period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on February 25, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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Frank Seravalli revealed the latest TSN trade bait rankings. Two Vancouver Canucks are on the list.

The Vancouver Canucks will be one of the busiest teams during the 2020 NHL offseason as they look to build upon one of the most successful seasons in franchise history.

Led by young stars Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes, Vancouver upset the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in round one, setting up a second round showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Despite being thoroughly dominated in just about every aspect, the Canucks pushed the powerhouse Golden Knights to seven games before running out of magic. Vegas shut Vancouver out 3-0 in Game 7.

And so ended the team’s best season since the 2011 Stanley Cup run.

Now, general manager Jim Benning has to figure out how he can get this team to that next level. It won’t be easy as he tries to figure out what to do with pending UFAs in goalie Jacob Markstrom, defenceman Chris Tanev and forward Tyler Toffoli.

Related Story. Should the Canucks target Henrik Lundqvist?. light

With limited cap space but an incentive to go all-in following the 2020 playoff run, most expect Benning to be heavily occupied (in both the trade and free agent markets) in the coming weeks, and for good reason.

Free agency is just eight days away now. Could Benning look to make a big trade or two before then? We’ll find out soon enough.

Several Canuck forwards have been brought up in the trade rumour mill, including 2014 first-round pick Jake Virtanen (coming off his best season yet) and veteran forward Brandon Sutter.

Those two players are on TSN’s updated trade bait list. Virtanen occupies the ninth spot, while Sutter is ranked 34th.

Arizona Coyotes defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson sits atop the list, and the Canucks have been linked to the standout blueliner over the last 24 hours. My colleague, Brayden Ursel, explored a possible Ekman-Larsson trade that you can read about here.

In order to make an Ekman-Larsson trade work, the Canucks would have to clear some salary. Sutter is signed for one more season with a cap hit of $4.375 million, while Virtanen — one of Benning’s most valuable trade chips — is a pending RFA with arbitration rights.

Next. Canucks: 3 right-handed defencemen to target. dark

Needless to say, the next two weeks will be pivotal for the Canucks franchise as they try to inch closer to Stanley Cup championship contention.

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